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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28513554">Paula Knows Best</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/losing_keys/pseuds/losing_keys'>losing_keys</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:41:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28513554</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/losing_keys/pseuds/losing_keys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Rebecca's (failed) wedding to Josh Chan, her friends Valencia and Heather are left feeling alone and out of control in their own lives. But there's nothing that a little advice from Paula can't fix. </p>
<p>HeatherxValencia oneshot that takes place after the season 2, episode 13 'Can Josh Take a Leap of Faith?'</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Heather Davis/Valencia Perez</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Paula Knows Best</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This was probably the first time in a while in which Heather had had trouble falling asleep. She was kicking herself for even being surprised in the first place; she knew from the beginning of Josh and Rebecca’s relationship, which was only about three months ago, that things wouldn’t work out well. Heather was an extremely realistic person, more than anyone in her life. She knew that Rebecca chasing her childhood “love” was never going to end up in some fairytale ending. But Heather had let her guard down and let herself become infatuated with Rebecca’s happiness. She had watched Rebecca unstably navigate relationships for well over a year now. At first, she had been fascinated with Rebecca’s actions and her ability to make the worst possible decision at all times. Heather never understood why Rebecca would risk so much just for a potential love interest. But with how happy Rebecca had been in the past few months, she started to have hope. Not just for her friend, but maybe for herself too. Realistically, Heather knew she was never going to be like Rebecca, throwing herself into love and relationships without fear. But maybe Heather could find something like the Rebecca and Josh she had been forced to witness constantly (in her own apartment, mind you). A lot less disgusting version of Rebecca and Josh, but her own love story nonetheless.<br/>	But watching Josh drive away as she waited for him outside the venue, she realized that what Josh and Rebecca had wasn’t real. That the months of lovey dovey behavior she had been stuck with was all a facade. Then, as she watched Rebecca nearly jump off a cliff to her death, she felt the lowest she had in awhile. Heather was more than used to hiding any emotion, because there was nothing she hated more than having to deal with someone crying. Tears felt personal, something that shouldn’t be shared with other people. So she never cried, never flinched, because she didn’t want to burden others with her own pain. But things were different now. Or they should be. She had real friends, ones that made her feel like she could be more than the calm and collected student. She had Rebecca, who showed her honest emotions at all times. She had Paula, who could comfort someone else like no one she had ever met. And she had Valencia, who made her feel… how did Valencia make her feel? To be honest, Heather had never imagined herself befriending someone like Valencia, who had spent her entire life judging other people relentlessly and modeling her happiness after superficiality. But now that Valencia was part of her friend group, she had realized that Valencia wasn’t the girl whose whole life revolved around her appearance and her ability to marry Josh Chan. Valencia was… something else entirely.<br/>	Heather wanted to tell her friends that. She wanted to be able to cry in front of them, tell them all her greatest worries. But everytime she opened her mouth to tell them that she often felt out of control, lost in her own life, she froze. She imagined them ignoring her, becoming annoyed with her, cutting her out of their lives to avoid the burden she put on them by being vulnerable. Heather wasn’t about to jeopardize the greatest friendships she had ever had by crying to them about things she had always and would always deal with on her own. <br/>	Heather turned on her side and pressed her face in her pillow and let herself do something she rarely did or ever wanted to do; she cried. She cried for Rebecca, who had been abandoned by yet another untrustworthy man in her life. She cried for Valencia, who had worked tirelessly to make her dream wedding for her friend and her ex-boyfriend. She cried for Paula, who had done so much for Rebecca and was probably worried sick, as Rebecca had not been heard from since they had left the wedding venue earlier today. But, worst of all, she cried for herself, and all the doubts she had about herself and her own life.<br/>	Her tears began to subside and she could feel her heart stop racing as she drifted from panic and sadness to the soft, comforting feeling of sleep, of completely shutting down the thoughts in her head that pinged around relentlessly like pinballs. She must have been almost asleep when a knock sounded on the door, ringing throughout the silence of the apartment deafeningly. <br/>Heather was suddenly wide awake. Rebecca could be at the door, back after hours of wandering and trying to comprehend the day she had been given. She could have forgotten her key. Heather grabbed a sweatshirt off her dresser and walked swiftly down the hallway to the front door. She opened it just as the person on the other side tried to knock again.<br/>To her surprise, Rebecca was not there. Well, she wasn’t actually that surprised, it was definitely unlike Rebecca to return after a crisis only a few hours of being off the grid. Heather was surprised, however, to see Valencia standing there. It took her a second to process the Valencia she was seeing; the only other time she had seen Valencia without her looking as if she could walk down a runway at any given moment was after her break up with Josh. Not that Valencia didn’t look beautiful. She was in a T-shirt and shorts, both being worn and faded. She had thrown her hair in, get this, a messy bun, her dark hair falling in pieces around her tan face. Perhaps most surprising of all was the lack of make up. Heather had never heard another person talk about their love for a good layer of foundation as Valencia, but right now Valencia’s face was make up free. Heather could feel her heart beating unevenly, which she chalked up to the fact she had never seen Valencia look so… she shook away the unhelpful thoughts and whispered,<br/>“Valencia? What are you doing here?”<br/>						---<br/>	Sitting at home alone in her apartment was not doing Valencia any good. She felt more trapped than usual, and that was saying a lot. Valencia had never been good at being alone, and after the events of the day, she felt worse off than usual. Her entire life, people had assumed she would prefer being alone, not talking to others if she could help it. But that had never been true. As a child, she had grown up sharing a room with her older brother and sister. Valencia had never gotten along well with other kids her own age (she wanted everything her way, which apparently did not translate well to friendship), so she spent almost all of her time with her siblings. She told them everything and trusted them with anything. However, by the time she was in high school, her siblings had drifted away from her, becoming more interested in their friendships and relationships than they were in their younger sister. So Valencia attached herself to who she considered the most viable choice for a boyfriend, the popular and attractive Josh Chan. She made herself a permanent fixture in Josh’s friend group. The only people she spent time with were Josh and his friends, and she always knew that Hector, White Josh and Greg didn’t like her very much. For over ten years, she really only had Josh to talk to, to rely on. And while it seemed to work for her for so long, because she loved having a person she could talk to who would never refuse to listen, she regretted it now more than she liked to admit. That’s why watching Josh and Rebecca together was so hard for her. She had come to really like and care for Rebecca Bunch, and more than anything, it killed her to watch Rebecca go through the same thing with Josh as she had. Josh Chan was good for neither of them. She didn’t regret knowing Josh; he was a good person with a good heart. But he was too quick to throw himself into a life with a girl solely because she had feelings for him. Valencia was admittedly (let’s not pretend here) a very attractive woman. If she was Josh, and she was throwing herself at him without hesitation, she would have done the same thing. She realized now that both her and Josh had known their relationship was not good. They had finally come to their senses and broken up about two years ago, when Josh had moved to New York City and Valencia had stayed in West Covina. Those months had been hell on Earth for Valencia. She had never felt so alone in her life. Josh leaving had finally made her come to terms with the fact that she had no one else in her life she could talk to. She had tried going to both of her siblings, but both of them had their own lives with careers, spouses and children. Valencia wanted all of that, more than she could ever express, but she was starting to feel as though she would never have any of it. The only thing that had saved her from her second break up with Josh had been her new friendships with Rebecca, Paula and Heather. But with Rebecca and Josh getting together, she could feel those friendships drifting away. She had thrown everything she had into planning Rebecca’s wedding, wanting desperately, she now realized, to live through the happiness Rebecca was feeling. But now Josh had broken yet another heart, and Valencia was left again. Alone. In an empty apartment with no one to share her racing thoughts with.<br/>	Before she knew what she was doing, Valencia had grabbed her keys and had practically ran down the stairs to her car. She decided, for once, not to think. All she knew was that she couldn’t be alone anymore. Maybe, for the first time, she didn’t have to be. She had to find a place she could go.<br/>	Valencia pulled open her car door and was about to climb in when she caught a flash of something in the light of the lamppost. She turned, and to her surprise, saw the reflection of Paula’s bag and as she walked towards the front of her apartment building.<br/>	“Paula?” she asked, her voice choked with surprise, “What are you doing here?”<br/>	Paula turned, looking just as surprised to see Valencia standing there as Valencia had to see her. <br/>	“Valencia?” she walked away from the building and towards her, “Where are you going?”<br/>	“To Heather’s,” Valencia was surprised at how quickly she answered. Valencia realized that was always where she was going to end up. <br/>	“I was going to go there myself,” Paula said softly as she reached Valencia, “Just in case Rebecca came home. But I feel like sitting and waiting in Rebecca’s empty room wasn’t the best way to handle the situation.”<br/>	Valencia shook her head, “No, probably not.” Valencia hesitated, then asked, “Why are you here, Paula?”<br/>	Paula signed, then reached for Valencia’s arm. Valencia almost backed away at the touch; she was not used to comfort, even less so from a female friend. But she didn’t, reasoning with herself that Paula truly and legitimately cared about her. <br/>	“I’m sorry, Valencia,” Paula said.<br/>	“For what?” Valencia asked, surprised at her words and confused at why Paula would have any reason to apologize to her.<br/>	“Heather and I were talking after Rebecca left,” Paula said, “And she brought up the fact none of us had really asked you how you were feeling. About any of this. Valencia, you sacrificed so much to help Rebecca with this wedding. You gave her your dream wedding, and then you watched Josh break someone else's heart. I know that was not easy for you, and you are our friend too. I needed to see how you were doing.”<br/>	Valencia couldn’t help it; she froze, so surprised by Paula’s words and her ability to care so deeply. Valencia had never thought for a second Paula would be here to comfort her. To be honest, she never thought anyone would want to comfort her willingly. <br/>	“Valencia…” Paula started again, but Valencia cut her off, throwing her arms around her friend.<br/>	“Thank you, Paula,” she whispered, letting herself cry, willingly, in front of her friend. After she cried in Paula’s shoulder for a few minutes (she would never have imagined this a year ago, that’s for sure) she pulled back and began to speak.<br/>	“I feel… so lost right now,” Valencia said, “Obviously, I’m upset and worried for Rebecca, and I’m extremely mad at Josh. He’s betrayed me in more ways than I thought possible, and I hate him for that.”<br/>	Paula nodded, “We will get him back, Valencia. That man will pay if it’s the last thing I do.”<br/>	Valencia smiled. Damn, was she grateful to have a friend like Paula. This woman was the definition of a badass. Valencia knew Josh wasn’t getting away scotch free.<br/>	But then Valencia’s smile faded away. There was something else bothering her, that had been bothering her for a while, something she didn’t want to admit. Not to Paula, not to Rebecca. Definitely not to Heather. <br/>	But Paula, who Valencia swears can read minds, was not about to let Valencia off.<br/>	“V,” she said, “You can tell me whatever else is bothering you.”<br/>	Valencia looked up at Paula’s kind eyes, her welcoming face. Before she knew fully what she was doing, she told Paula everything. About she felt like she was never going to be in a successful relationship, and how she would never have her version of the dream life, marriage and kids and a fulfilling career. <br/>	Paula listened to it all, in a way no one had ever listened to her before. When Valencia finished, they were sitting on the hood of Valencia’s car with Paula holding both of Valencia’s hands in her own. <br/>	“Valencia,” Paula said, her voice firm as she looked into her eyes, “At first, I thought you were the type of person I hated more than anything.”<br/>	“Wow, thanks Paula,” Valencia said, laughing a little at the blunt honesty.<br/>	“Let me finish,” Paula smiled softly, “But after you broke up with Josh and became friends with Rebecca and Heather, I began to see the real Valencia. The one who is smart, beautiful, independent, and an amazing friend. The one who I know can do anything she sets her mind to. I mean, look at the wedding you just pulled off in a few days! Valencia, that was absolutely incredible! You not only did Rebecca and huge, huge favor, you also created the best wedding I’ve ever seen on extremely short notice. You are a force, Valencia Perez. All that’s holding you back is this insane idea that you can’t make your life what you want it to be. But that’s not true. I know, without question, that you will find someone who loves you for everything you are. And at the same time, you will find your own personal success, because you can do anything.”<br/>	“Paula,” Valencia whispered, “I don’t know what to say…”<br/>	“Then just give me a hug,” Paula said, grinning through tears and she enveloped Valencia in a hug.<br/>	When they pulled apart, Paula slid off the hood of the car and turned to Valencia to help her down, “Now you. Get going. You have someone you need to talk to.”<br/>	Paula gave her a knowing smile. In that moment, Valencia realized Paula knew more than Valencia thought she did, maybe even more if Valencia knew herself. <br/>	Valencia nodded and waved goodbye to her friend as she pulled open the car door and started the car. <br/>						---<br/>	When Valencia reached Heather and Rebecca’s apartment, Paula’s words replayed in her mind. For the first time in her life, someone had shown complete faith in Valencia and her future. Paula was so sure she would find someone who cared about her, in a way that was so much more real than anything she and Josh ever had. <br/>	Maybe, just maybe, that person was Heather.<br/>	The thought caught Valencia off guard. She almost didn’t get out of the car, as she was nursing a fear that Heather would never feel the same way. But over the past few months, as she got to know Rebecca’s roommate, she began to realize she didn’t just like Heather’s outfit, or her hairstyle, she liked Heather in them. Heather was perhaps the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, and it was pointless to deny that there was an attraction there. She thought about Heather endlessly, about how nothing ever seemed to phase her and she lived her life with a confidence Valencia had wanted her whole life. Heather was easy to talk to, she was kind, she was supportive, she was, well, perfect. But who was Valencia to go for her friend, especially when she didn’t even know if Heather was into women or not. She had thought a few times maybe, but she couldn’t be sure. For most of her life, Valencia had sort of always assumed everyone was into her. But with Heather, all she felt was doubt. She loved her friendship with all of them, she couldn’t bear to lose them because she confessed her feelings. And was this really the best time? Rebecca had just been left at the altar. She shouldn’t be hitting on Rebecca’s roommate. But she really wanted to.<br/>	Finally, Valencia stopped thinking and turned off the car, abruptly shutting the door as she got out. She wanted to see Heather, that didn’t mean she was committing to anything. She would just go in and see how she was doing. That was completely reasonable, as she doubted Heather wanted to be home alone right now either. Valencia walked quickly towards the door, trying to look as confident as she could, although she felt admittedly vulnerable in her pajamas without any makeup on. Putting all her thoughts aside, she knocked loudly on the door.<br/>	She waited a moment. Valencia didn’t hear anyone moving inside, so she leaned forward to knock again, her nerves making her brain fuzzy. Then, as she started to knock again, the door opened and there was Heather, looking as beautiful as ever in a simple tank top and pajama pants, her curly hair held in a bun on the top of her head. One look into her coffee-colored eyes and Valencia almost turned around and walked back to her car out of sheer fear. But she mustered up her strength and stayed put, looking back at Heather.<br/>	“Valencia?” Heather asked, “What are you doing here?”<br/>	“I…” she paused, not really knowing how to explain herself. She was about to speak again when she noticed something she hadn’t before; Heather’s eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying. <br/>	Out of surprise, Valencia asked, “Heather? Have you been crying?”<br/>	She didn’t mean to sound so blunt with her question. Heather stepped back and wiped her eyes, “Yeah,” she said simply. Valencia waited for her to elaborate, but got nothing. That was Heather for you.<br/>	“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was accusing you of something,” Valencia said, a bit sheepishly, “I’m just…”<br/>	“Surprised?” Heather finished, “Didn’t believe I cried?”<br/>	Valencia laughed a little, “No, I didn’t actually. Compared to Rebecca, it’s really not hard to notice you don’t cry at all.”<br/>	Heather shrugged, “Well, it looks like you’ve been crying too, and I don’t think I’ve ever really seen you cry.”<br/>	“I cry,” Valencia said stiffly, “I just usually avoid it in public to keep my makeup in check.”<br/>	Heather rolled her eyes, “Of course.”<br/>	The two fell silent for a moment, neither really knowing what to say. Finally Heather gestured towards the living room.<br/>	“Want to come in?” she stepped out of the doorway, “But if you are here to hear more about Rebecca, you came to the wrong place. I still haven’t heard from her.”<br/>“I’m not,” Valencia said, “Honestly, I just didn’t want to be alone anymore.”<br/>Heather nodded, “I’m glad you are here then. And you can stay, as long as you don’t ask me anymore questions about me crying.”<br/>Valencia held her arms up, “I won’t, I swear.”<br/>Heather nodded and sat down on the couch. Valencia followed her, sitting down next to her and trying to ignore the intoxicating vanilla perfume Heather always wore.<br/>						---<br/>	Valencia smelled like a mix of lemons and lavender, which Heather couldn’t help but notice every time she got close enough to her. She tried to avoid fixating on it; it was enough that Valencia was exceptionally beautiful, she didn’t need to smell good as well. Heather looked away for a second, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. And Heather never felt uncomfortable, especially not around the people she knew best. But she had never known anyone like Valencia. <br/>	Heather didn’t like lying to herself. She knew she had feelings for her friend, real and tangible feelings she couldn’t avoid even if she tried. But she also knew that jeopardizing her friendship with Valencia, Rebecca and Paula was not an option. Heather needed them in her life, and she wasn’t about to ruin anything by confessing that she was way too into someone who was most likely straight. So Heather forced herself to pay attention to Valencia, while desperately trying to ignore everything that was so infatuating about her. <br/>	Heather needed to say something, anything, to distract herself. She finally blurted, “Have you heard anything from Josh?”<br/>	“No,” Valencia said, “Why would I?”<br/>	“I don’t know,” Heather shrugged, “He knew you best. Paula and I thought maybe he would reach out to you.”<br/>	“If he did, I would tell you and Paula immediately,” Valencia said, “And then he would never hear the end of it.”<br/>	Heather laughed, “No, he would not. Josh will not survive the wrath of Paula.”<br/>	Valencia snorted, “Oh, definitely not. I had Josh scared of me for ten years, and Paula is somehow ten times more threatening than I am.”<br/>	Heather smiled. There was no denying it, no one should ever mess with Paula.<br/>	“I don’t know,” Heather said, “You really stuck it to him by peeing on his stuff.”<br/>	Valencia hit Heather on the arm in a joking way, which almost made Heather jump out of her seat. Curse Valencia and her incredibly soft hands.<br/>	“In my defense,” Valencia said, “We were going through a lot that weekend. And we had only recently gotten off of hallucinogens.”<br/>“Well, we are going to have to get more creative this time,” Heather said, “Josh Chan is not getting away with hurting both of my friends.”<br/>“Oh, he will pay,” Valencia said, “I can’t believe I gave that bastard my dream wedding.”<br/>Heather frowned at this. She could see the sadness in Valencia’s eyes as she said this. Heather knew that Valencia had been working on the wedding she kindly gave to Rebecca for years and years. It was everything she had ever wanted, and then she willingly gave it to her friend and her ex-boyfriend. Then she watched as it all fell apart at the last moment. Rebecca wasn’t the only one who went through a lot today. Valencia gave up a dream and then watched it become wrecked all over again. Without thinking, Heather reached for her and placed a gentle hand on her arm.<br/>“Valencia,” she spoke, “I’m really sorry about the wedding. You did a really great thing by helping Rebecca.”<br/>“It’s okay,” Valencia said, but Heather could see the tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes. <br/>“It’s also okay if it’s not okay,” Heather said, “I hated myself for saying that sentence. God, I’m not good at comforting. But you can cry, you know.”<br/>Valencia laughed through tears, making Heather feel more uncomfortable. She was not cut out for the high stakes world of talking about feelings.<br/>“Thanks Heather,” Valencia smiled, “I’m new with the whole crying around other people thing too. We can figure it out together.”<br/>“Having friends is weird,” Heather said simply.<br/>“It really is,” Valencia agreed, “Whenever I dealt with something in the past, I either ignored it or told Josh while he half listened. Having girl friends is so odd. I still don’t know what to do most of the time.”<br/>Heather shrugged, “You’re doing well.”<br/>Valencia smiled, “I appreciate the support.”<br/>“You know,” Heather said, “You are really good at planning weddings. And if Rebecca’s wedding was only your first, then you should be even more excited for your own. Rebecca’s was more like your practice wedding, and it was perhaps the most beautiful almost wedding I’ve ever been to. So I can’t wait to go to yours.”<br/>Heather hoped Valencia didn’t see her blush, especially as she pictured herself in Valencia’s dream wedding. When had her inner thoughts become so embarrassing?<br/>“Thank you, Heather,” Valencia said softly, “Really, you don’t know how much that means to me. But I really doubt I’ll ever get that wedding.”<br/>Heather looked at her in shock, “How could you say that?”<br/>Valencia shrugged, “I just don’t think I’ll ever find a person who loves me in that way.”<br/>Heather shook her head, “V, that’s ridiculous. Anyone, and I mean anyone, would be lucky to marry you. Sure, things didn’t work out with Josh. But you two were never going to work. Neither of you were ever happy. But there are people out there who will appreciate you for who you are and will want to spend their lives with you. V, your love story is far from over.”<br/>Usually Heather hated talking about anything to do with love or relationships, especially when it came to giving advice. But she needed Valencia to hear that. Everything she said to Valencia didn’t feel forced or fake. She wanted V to know that she was going to be worth someone’s time and energy someday. Even if it wasn’t her own time and energy. <br/>“Heather,” Valencia moved closer, “Thank you.”<br/>All of a sudden, Valencia’s arms were around her. Heather, who had never been one to anticipate a hug, stiffened at first and didn’t move her arms. But as she came to her senses, she let herself relax and put her own arms around Valencia. She breathed in the lemons and lavender, her heart beating faster, quite against her wishes. After a minute or so, Heather pulled back slowly, stopping with her hand around Valencia’s waist. Valencia looked up into Heather’s eyes, and Heather’s heart suddenly stopped beating. Valencia’s eyes were a mix of surprise, innocence and what Heather desperately hoped was lust. Her entire body felt numb as she tried to rack her brain for what to do next, or even how to move any of her limbs. Suddenly, Valencia moved closer, her hand sliding slowly under the back of Heather’s shirt. Valencia’s cold touch sent a shock throughout Heather’s body. All she could do was focus on Valencia’s lips as they came closer and closer to her own...<br/>						---<br/>	Valencia could not believe what she was doing. She was going against all her own worries, all her own doubts, and she was about to kiss the girl she wanted to kiss more than anything in this world. They were now only an inch apart. Valencia could feel the heat from Heather’s body. It seemed to envelope her, making her feel safe and at peace while simultaneously more electrified than she had ever been in her life. Without further hesitation, she closed the gap between them.<br/>	The world fell away as she kissed Heather. At first, she moved her lips slowly and timidly, testing out how Heather felt and how she would respond. Then Heather placed a hand on the back of Valencia's neck and deepened the kiss. Valencia fell willingly into it, allowing her body to move closer until she was completely pressed against Heather’s body. Everything around her seemed to melt away as she poured every she had into this kiss that made her feel like she was floating. <br/>	Then, without any warning, Heather pulled her lips abruptly away from Valencia’s and leapt off the couch. Before Valencia could fully understand what was going on, Heather was walking quickly down the hallway towards her bedroom.<br/>	“Heather?!” Valencia shouted, her voice raspy. She cleared her throat and stood up just as Heather shut her bedroom door.<br/>	She moved hesitantly down the hallway, confusion making her brain feel numb, “Heather? What’s going on? Can we talk about it?”<br/>	The apartment remained paralyzingly quiet. <br/>	“Heather?” Valencia tried again, wincing at the desperation in her own voice. When there was no answer, the confusion and sadness Valencia felt was melting into anger.<br/>	“Fine!” Valencia snapped, “I’ll just go!”<br/>	And Valencia walked to the front door and swung it open, silently cursing herself for looking back at the closed door to see if Heather had come out. <br/>						---<br/>	Valencia may have never felt so low in her life. She felt worse than when she and Josh had broken up. At least then, she had known she was doing something good for her life. But now, she felt as though she was losing the very thing that could turn her life around. The thing that could make her feel more complete than she had ever before. All the feelings she had tried to suppress for months had surfaced in an extremely painful way. Now, here she was, feeling empty and lonely, about to go to a job she hadn’t enjoyed for a long time. She had thought of staying home, but she knew she couldn’t afford that. Not to mention she hated the idea of letting her messy feelings get in the way of her life. She wasn’t going through that. Not anymore. <br/>	So Valencia pulled herself out of bed, changed into a set of her favorite workout clothes, put her hair up in a ponytail and left for the yoga studio. All she needed to do was block the thought of Heather for the rest of the day, or at least until she finished her lessons. <br/>						---<br/>	Heather had never felt so guilty in her entire life. She felt guilty that she was so preoccupied with her own problems when Rebecca was still nowhere to be found. She felt guilty that she had run from Valencia after leading her on. But most of all, she felt guilty that she had sabotaged her own happiness because she was too scared. She had hurt someone she really cared about because she didn’t know how to address her feelings for her. Now, she layed in bed once again, wishing that she was braver than she actually was. <br/>	She was once again shocked out of her mindless bed trance by a knock on the door. Who could it be? Heather highly doubted that it was either Rebecca or Valencia, for their respective reasons. She thought about pretending she wasn’t home, but her hospitality got the best of her.<br/>	Heather pulled herself out of bed and walked down the hallway. She opened the door to Paula. While she wasn’t that surprised to see Paula (it was only a matter of time before she came over after one of Rebecca’s famous disappearances), but she was surprised to see that Paula was angry. Suddenly on alert, Heather hesitated before asking:<br/>	“What’s going on, Paula?”<br/>	“You know very well what is going on,” Paula snapped as she walked through the door.<br/>	“Just don’t ask to come in,” Heather mumbled.<br/>	“You’re damn right I won’t ask to come in,” Paula whipped around to face her, “What is the matter with you?”<br/>	“Paula, I have no idea what you are talking about,” Heather said.<br/>	“Oh yeah?” Paula said, placing her hands on her hips, “Then why when I stopped by Valencia’s studio this morning did she seem so upset?”<br/>	Heather froze, “What did she say?”<br/>	“Nothing,” Paula spoke angrily, “But I’ve dealt with Rebecca long enough to know when someone is rejected. What happened last night?”<br/>	“Paula, what…” Heather trailed off, too surprised to speak. How did Paula know any of this?<br/>	“I’m not stupid, Heather,” Paula answered simply, “I know that you like Valencia and that Valencia likes you. And I’m guessing that after I talked to Valencia last night, she finally had the courage to make a move. So why, why, did you hurt her?” Paula shook her head in anger, “I already have to deal with every single one of Rebecca’s heartbreaks, I don’t need this drama from you and Valencia.”<br/>	“I…” Heather thought about denying all of it, but then stopped. Paula apparently already knew everything.<br/>	“I panicked, Paula,” Heather said softly, “You, Rebecca and Valencia are the best thing in my life. I don’t want to mess that up. And I definitely don’t want to hurt V, but I feel like that’s all I would do.”<br/>	Paula’s face softened at this, “Oh pumpkin,” she pulled Heather towards the counter stools and they both sat down, “Wow. I didn’t mean to come in yelling. But Heather, that is about the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”<br/>	“Excuse me?” Heather asked.<br/>	“You and Valencia are perfect for each other,” Paula said, “I have been able to tell for a while that you both are interested in something more. I know she makes you happy. And while this friendship all means so much to all of us, you can’t be scared to take a chance with Valencia. Something so much better than just a friendship could come out of it.”<br/>	Heather began to cry as Paula spoke. Paula was right, she knew it, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling she was going to hurt Valencia, who had already been through too much.<br/>	“Oh, sweetie,” Paula wrapped Heather in a hug, “You can’t let fear stop you, Heather. Everyone’s always scared with new relationships. But a relationship can only happen if you fight through that fear. If Valencia is what makes you happy, it doesn’t matter how you met or whether or not your friends. You owe it to yourself to try and see if she is what makes you happy.”<br/>	Heather nodded against Paula’s shoulder as she let go and began to sob. Not for the first time, she was grateful to have Paula in her life.<br/>	“Now go,” Paula said, pulling back from the hug, “You have someone you need to talk to.”<br/>						---<br/>	“And now move into the navasana pose,” Valencia modeled the pose as she lowered herself to the floor and stretched out her legs. She then moved her arms so they were just touching the sides of her legs. Once everyone had attempted the position, she picked herself up and walked around the room, correcting forms. Focusing on yoga wasn’t exactly numbing her thoughts of Heather, but it at least gave her some purpose through the long and awful day. Once she made her way to the last person, she walked back up to the front of the room and was about to give instruction for another pose when the back door swung open.<br/>	“Valencia!” the voice rang out throughout the studio. Everyone, including Valencia turned to see Heather, who was standing, out of breath and framed in the doorway. <br/>	“Heather? What on earth…”<br/>	“I have something to say,” Heather said boldly, “And you know how I feel about public demonstrations, so I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t have a really good reason.”<br/>	“Okay…” Valencia looked expectantly at Heather, who was now walking around her students, who were all watching in fascination. <br/>	“V, I’m an idiot,” Heather began.<br/>	“Obviously,” Valencia said. Despite herself, a small smile was creeping onto her face.<br/>	Heather smiled sheepishly back, “I want to be with you, Valencia. I want to do all the couplely things that I usually make fun of and think are stupid. I was scared, and I freaked out. I ran away, and that was wrong of me. But I’m here now, if you want me.”<br/>	Valencia could see how uncomfortable Heather was. She had never seen Heather be this loud, this bold, this brazen. Valencia could easily say she had never been more attracted to anyone in her life.<br/>	“V, I know that…” Heather began again, but Valencia cut her off before she could say anymore. She kissed her, roughly and messily but oh so perfectly. Cheers erupted around the studio as the two clung to each other, hope and desire blossoming between them. <br/>						---<br/>3 YEARS LATER<br/>	“Where is Nathaniel?” Valencia snapped as Rebecca came in the room, “He was supposed to go out to wait for Heather five minutes ago!”<br/>	“Relax!” Rebecca said, hoping to sound reassuring as she spoke to the frantic bride, “Natheniel went out there ten minutes ago. I witnessed it myself. Although I’m sure Heather could have made it into the building either way.”<br/>	“Not with the last minute changes!” Valencia protested, “The staff needed an extra room for the cake…”<br/>	“Once again, I’m concerned about why you need so much room for a cake,” Paula interrupted from her seat near the window.<br/>	“Don’t start with me!” Valencia argued, “Anyway, they had to move the room Heather is getting ready in. And you know we couldn’t leave at the same time because of the emergency at Home Base, so she needs someone to lead her there!”<br/>	“Which my finance generously offered to do,” Rebecca reassured.<br/>	“His name is Natheniel, please stop referring to him solely as your fiance,” Paula said.<br/>	“Yes, it’s already bad enough he proposed to you a week before our wedding,” Valencia snapped.<br/>	“V, I said I was sorry,” Rebecca said, “But I told you I could only get reservations for his favorite restaurant either last week or three months from now, and I didn’t want to wait that long to propose. And don’t forget, Valencia, you proposed to Heather on my birthday.”<br/>	“I proposed after your party! You weren’t even there!” Valencia argued.<br/>	“Alright, alright,” Paula chimed in, “None of this is relevant. Let’s just focus on Heather and Valencia today. Everyone understand?”<br/>	“Yes,” Rebecca and Valencia muttered. <br/>	Rebecca’s phone began to ring, which broke any tension in the room.<br/>	“Answer it!” Valencia nearly shouted.<br/>	Rebecca quickly answered the phone before Valencia could say anything else. Valencia watched avidly as Rebecca talked.<br/>	“Is it Nathaniel? Is she here?” Valenca whispered frantically.<br/>	Rebecca waved her away and turned to face the other way. Valencia glared at the back of her head until Rebecca finally hung up and answered, “Heather has arrived safely to her designated room.”<br/>	Valencia smiled, her heart beating faster at the thought of Heather waiting only a couple rooms away, waiting to marry Valencia.<br/>						---<br/>	Heather watched in amazement as Valencia continued to greet guests. Heather had opted for a drink break because she had become a bit overwhelmed, but even at the bar she was constantly bombarded by guests. Weddings would never be her thing, but they were Valencia’s, and she loved more than anything to watch Valencia’s excitement at every part of their wedding. So no, she didn’t like most weddings, but Heather loved this one. More than she thought she would ever love anything. Today, she married the girl of her dreams, a talented, intelligent, gorgeous and successful woman who amazed her with everything she did and said. She could spend forever just watching her in her long, flowing white dress as she talked with everyone in the room. After a few minutes, she was about to make her way back over to Valencia when Valencia started walking across the room towards her.<br/>	“Hey,” she smiled softly when she reached Heather, “How’s my favorite wife?”<br/>	“Better than ever,” Heather answered, leaning in to kiss Valencia. <br/>	Paula made her way over just then, beaming when she reached the two brides. <br/>	“I know you need a break from people,” Paula said, “Or at least Heather does, but I wanted to say I’m so proud of and happy for both of you.”<br/>	“Thanks Paula,” Valencia smiled.<br/>	“For everything,” Heather agreed, placing an arm around her wife.<br/>	Paula shrugged, “That’s what the maid of honor is for.”<br/>	“One of the maids of honor,” Rebecca said, appearing from behind Paula with Nathaniel on her side.<br/>	“Yes, one of the maids of honor,” Heather smiled, “I don’t know what we’d do without any of you.”<br/>	“Including me?” Nathaniel said hopefully.<br/>	Valencia laughed, “Definitely, Nathaniel.”<br/>	The five of them stood, happily cherishing the beauty of friendship, love and happiness. Their pasts, fill of doubt and hesitation, seemed to finally be irrelevant.</p>
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